Aftermath
by leelee0474
Summary: FORMALLY TITLED RECRUIT See what happens after Fi turns herself in. Mike, Sam, Nate, Jesse, Pearce, Maddie, Fi
1. Chapter 1

A/N...Don't own anything...blah blah blah...

Thanks to Kathryn V for reading...I know she wants this to be multi chapter...not sure what I'm doing with this yet...might be a single or if plot bunnies hop by, I might do more...

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"So, that's where we are right now. Without Fi, we are one person short. We have Jess, but we really need one more and you are the only person that Mikey trusts right now. If you can't do it, no hard feelings because we know you have Ruthie and Charlie to consider. Take an hour, call the little lady and discuss it with her."

Sam took a sip of his beer. He spent the last thirty minutes filling Nate in on what had been happening and how they planned to resolve it.

Nate looked at his mother and Jesse, who also sat at the dining room table with him. He took a moment to find his words. "I can shoot a gun. That's not a problem. The problem I have with this, is that I'm not as accurate as Fiona with my shots. I don't know how to make explosives. I don't have the slightest idea on how to hack into large computer systems. I can pick a lock, but I usually do that when I lose my house keys. I've never picked a warehouse lock or even a federal penitentary lock. I don't know how I'm going to do this."

Maddie took her youngest son's hand and held it tight. "The first few times they used me on a job, I had no idea what I was doing, but you learn as you go along. They wouldn't ask you if they didn't think you couldn't handle the work. Take some time and think it over. I love you no matter what you decide, and so does Michael." She stood up and kissed Nate on the head.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved. Why don't we all go get some take out and bring it back here while we work." Jesse stood up as well. "Nate, we'll be back in an hour. If you aren't here, then we have our answer. No hard feelings buddy."

As everyone got ready to leave Nate alone with his thoughts, Nate took a long hard look at Michael. He usually looked bigger and stronger. Nate noticed that Michael was scruffy, his hair was messy, and his eyes were red and puffy. Michael's eyes, which normally scanned the whole room several times during conversations, were now trained on the floor. His eyes didn't move once and he wouldn't look anyone in the eyes. Michael looked exhausted. He stood with his arms crossed, almost like he was holding himself together. The kitchen counter seemed to be holding him up. His big brother wasn't looking so big.

"Mike? Mike? MIKE!" Nate shouted. He walked into the kitchen and stood an arms length away from his brother. "Hey, I'm going to help you get Fiona back. Don't worry, this is all going to work out in the end. The Westen Brothers will put an end to Anson."

Michael looked at Nate. His gave his brother a sad smile. "You sure you want to help? It's going to get ugly."

"Mike, this is payback for all the times you save my sorry butt. You didn't have to, but you did. Its time for me to save your butt."

Nate gave his brother a hug and they exchanged some words quietly. Michael scrubbed his face with his hands. "Guys, you all go eat." Everyone noticed how shaky his voice was.

"Brother, come with us and eat." Sam pleaded with Michael. "You have to be starving by now."

"i can't..." Michael said, sounding like he wanted to continue but couldn't.

Nate now stood against the counter, next to Michael. He put an arm around his brother, partly to comfort him, partly to show solidarity. "You guys go, Michael is going to lay down and I have to call Ruthie. Go, we'll be ok. Just bring us back something to eat."

Everyone left. Michael and Nate stood in the kitchen, sharing a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Michael was the first to break the silence

"What if I can't fix this and I lose Fi forever?"

"First of all, its 'we'-you aren't alone in this any more. Second, we won't let you lose Fiona. She's part of the family and we can't let her suffer if she's innocent. Get some rest, we'll eat later."

Michael tried hard to hide all of the emotions that were threatening to eat him alive. He felt himself falling apart. Fiona was the one thing that kept him sane and now she was gone. Somehow he found the strength to move from the kitchen and head towards the guest room. Looking back over his shoulder, he said "Thanks for being here Nate."

Nate immediately answered "No problem. I got your back bro. Go get some sleep."

Once Nate knew Michael was napping, he pulled out his phone and called his wife. "Hey babe, my brother is in trouble so I am going to stay here for a bit to help and you to have to be ok with this until Mike's ok..."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N...Don't own anything! Just what's in my crazy head. Hope you guys like this chapter! Be gentle!

When everyone came back home from dinner, Maddie went to check on Michael. Even in his sleep, he looked anguished. She sighed, feeling terrible for her boy. He was hurting and she couldn't make it better for him. Maddie heard Sam say that he was going to wake Mikey. She flew out into the kitchen and began to scold Sam.

"You are not going to wake Michael. He's exhausted and he's finally sleeping. You wake him up and I will shoot you myself." Maddie said, pointing her cigarette at Sam.

"Maddie, we have to get Mikey up so we can plan our next step. I can only plan so much, but we need Mikey because he knows Anson best."

"Anson will still be there in the morning. You boys get some sleep and in the morning I will let you do whatever you want to Michael. Tonight though, he's sleeping and he will not be woken. Understand?"

Sam took a moment to answer. Finally deciding he did not want Maddie shooting him, he backed down. "You are right. Jesse's beat and I know I'm running on fumes. I think sleep would be best. Thanks Mad." Sam turned around and walked out into the kitchen. "Guys, we are all going to get some sleep. Jesse, you stay here with Mikey tonight. Nate, come back to the loft and we'll crash there. I can train you on a few things before we come back in the morning."

Nate protested. "I think as his brother, I should stay here with Mike and you guys go back to the loft or we all sleep here."

Jesse pulled Nate into the living room and talked in a hushed tone while Sam helped Maddie clear the table. "I know you want to stay. Mike's been waking up and either drinking or having fist fights with us. We don't let him drink a lot and he gets mad, which also leads to him throwing punches. Sam or I will stand there and let him throw his punches. When he's done, he goes back to bed. Sam and I have training for being hit repeatedly. You're strong, but Mike could easily hurt you. Go with Sam and rest. You'll need it."

"I understand. I'm not happy, but I understand. I need to help clear the table."

After the table was clear, Nate and Sam left. Jesse helped Maddie with the dishes. They talked about the dinner they had, the waitress Sam tried to ask out on a date and if Ruthie went along willingly with Nate staying to help. When the last dish was put away, Maddie went to bed. Jesse stretched out on the couch, thankful for a moment of quietness in the house.

About three a.m, Jesse's eyes popped open. Something wasn't right. He rolled over onto his side. Looking towards the dining room he saw Michael with a bottle of bourbon in front of him. He was staring at the bottle very intensely. After five minutes of watching Michael stare down the bourbon he had enough.

"Mike, you either have to drink the damn bottle or go to bed. You can't sit in front of the bottle all night doing nothing." Jesse said, finally sitting up.

Michael took the bottle and turned it upside down a few times. "Jesse go back to sleep and leave me alone. Take the spare room if you want. I don't want to sleep."

Jesse stood up and walked over to the dining room. "You don't want to sleep? That's just great. Did you forget that your girl is rotting in jail? She needs you Mike."

"What do you expect me to do? She is gone. I can't reach her. I begged not to turn herself in, even chained her to the fence so she wouldn't turn herself in to the Feds. She still managed to get free and do the one thing I told her we couldn't do because they wouldn't understand. Damn her for not listening to me." Michael shouted as he paced around the small dining room. "I don't know what you want me to do. Maybe scale the walls and bring her back? Maybe I should get a tank and bust her out that way. For once, I don't know what to do." Michael shouted, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"You don't bury your head in the sand. You fight, swing harder than you did before. Just don't freeze and do nothing!" Jesse was getting angrier and angrier the more Michael talked He slammed his fist on the table. "Jesus Michael, if Fi was my girl, I would be blowing up buildings and calling in every debt that was owed to me to get her out. I'd be using every last ounce of strength I had to free her. I wouldn't be sitting here feeling sorry for myself because my girl turned herself in to the FBI to save my sorry ass from a life of servitude to a creep like Anson!"

Michael laughed. "If Fiona was your girl...you still want her, don't you? Since you first met her. I know about the kiss you two shared. You never got over the fact that I had her and you didn't."

.Jse knew that whatever Michael was going through, he had to get it out of his system before Sam got back in the morning. He figured that anger was a much better outlet for his grief than alcohol, so he started to goad Michael a little bit more.

"You know what, if Fiona was with me, we wouldn't have ended up in this position. I would have dropped trying to find who burned me, put an engagement ring on her finger and provided a home for her and not the dark hole you call home. You think she likes living there?"

Jesse could tell Michael was trying hard to control his anger. Both men were now standing, circling the dining room table while they argued. Jesse would have continued but Maddie come into the room.

"What is all the shouting? I'm pretty sure the neighbors can hear you boys yelling."

Michael turned to his mother. "The neighbors? Seriously, that's what you are more worried about? You know Mom, you always cared more about what the neighbors thought than what was going on inside our home. Maybe you need to care less about them and start caring about me." He grabbed the bottle and held it in his hands.

"That's enough Michael. I do care about you. You know I do. What you need to do is push aside your pain and focus on getting Fiona out of jail and bringing Anson down."

As soon as Maddie finished her sentence Michael hurled the bottle of bourbon towards her. Maddie ducked out of the way before the bottle hit her. "Would everyone stop telling me what to do? I can't bring Anson down and I can't get Fiona out of jail. Anson won. End of game. I've probably lost my job with the CIA. I have lost Fiona forever. She's gone...she's gone and I don't see a way out of this." Michael sat down at the dining room table. He looked around the room and then slid down in his chair. He covered his face with his hands and said "This is all my fault. What did I do?"

Maddie rushed over to Michael and wrapped her arms around him. He held tight to her. Jesse began to clean up the broken bottle. Hoping Michael was done lashing out for the evening, he tried to diffuse the situation. "There was this one job Fiona and I were working on about a year ago, before Anson came along. We were in a hotel, trying to search a guy's room for some computer chip. We heard the guy coming back and we couldn't get out through the door. I didn't know what to do, so I asked Fiona if she had a plan. Do you know what she told me?"

Giving a stern look at Jesse, as if to say 'Do you really think NOW is the time to talk about Fiona?' Instead she played along and said "No what did Fiona tell you?"

"She told me there is always a way out. Might not be a door, but you are never stuck. She took a chair and threw it out the window. We ended up jumping from the third floor into a pool. She nearly got me killed that day."

Michael looked at Jesse and said "I remember that. She was all wet when she got home and you both ended up with bronchitis afterwards." He let go of Maddie and ran his hands through his hair and laughed a little as he stood up. "There's always a way out. She's right. She's always right. Jesse, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I said that to you and I shouldn't have thrown that bottle at you Mom."

Maddie patted Michael on his cheek. "No need. You are under a lot of pressure sweetie."

Feeling better, Michael sent his mom off to bed with a kiss on the cheek. "Jesse, get to sleep. We have a lot of planning to do in a short amount of time."

Jesse was relieved. The pain and torture that had plagued Michael's eyes for two days were replaced by a look of anger and determination. Glad he fired Michael into action, Jesse laid down on the couch and quickly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N...Don't own anything. Thanks for all the reviews! I truly adore them all & appreciate them :)

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Sam sat at the outdoor table of Carlito's, nervously tapping his fingers. The waitress came over with his usual Mojito.

"You alone today Sam?"

"I wish Kaitlin. Could you bring me an iced tea? I am meeting someone."

The waitress wrote down his order. "Do you have a new girlfriend Sam? I thought you said I was the only one." she said in a teasing tone.

"Trust me, you still are my favorite waitress named Kaitlin. I'm just handling business for Mikey and I have to meet with someone."

"Oh. Well, good luck with the meeting. Give Mike our best." she said as she walked past.

Sam played his Mojito, stirring it and watching the ice swirl around in his glass. He straightened up when he saw Pearce appear at the table.

"Thanks for meeting with me Axe. I was hoping Michael would be here too. I told you I wanted to discuss the situation with the two of you."

Sam, who was usually calm and cool, leaned forward and replied in a growling voice. "Michael is no condition to be at a meeting. In case you didn't notice from your last meeting with him, he's a zombie. I'm lucky if I can get a whole sentence from him. You think I'm going to bring him to talk about Fiona and Anson when that's the very thing that has put him over the edge? Think again."

"I told the two of you in the meeting that this is his fault. If he had come to me or the agency, we could have protected him from Anson. Now it's a mess that I don't even know if I can clean up."

Sam gritted his teeth. "Coming to you earlier would have done no good. Anson had information on all of us and Mikey was not going to give Anson a reason to turn us all over. Mikey protects his what is his."

"I'm not going to sit here and argue with you Sam. I have an offer for Michael. He's not returning my calls. I need you to set up a meeting so I can explain to him what the agency is offering. We can help him get Anson but he has to go through official channels. Can you get him to see me?"

Sam took a drink of his Mojito and looked out into the street. He was curious as to why all of a sudden Pearce was so hot to get Anson. At the last meeting Michael had with the CIA, they told him that Anson was his problem and they couldn't help. On the other hand, the agency was offering support in getting Anson and they could be useful. The best he could do is present Pearce's case and then go along with Michael's decision. "I can't guarantee he'll meet with you, but I'll give him a call. I'll be in touch and let you know when and where."

Sam finished his Mojito and left. He headed over to Maddie's house. When he walked in the front door, he found Michael sitting at the dining room table. He was clean shaven and was eating a yogurt.

"Mikey, glad to see you awake and clean! I thought you'd still be asleep."

Michael grabbed a box that was next to him and started to sort through it. "I've lost at least two days and it's time to get to work. I need you to go back to the loft and get me a spare cell and some other supplies. Nate brought me clothes so I am good there."

"Why don't you come? I don't mind driving you there."

As soon as Sam finished his sentence, he saw Michael's jaw tense. "I can't go back there Sam. Not yet. Not until Fiona is out of jail. "

"Well, I can go get your stuff. Make a list. I do have a piece of business we need to discuss before we do anything. Pearce is looking for you."

"Why is she looking for me?" Michael wondered.

Just as Michael finished his thought, there was a sharp knocking on the door. Nate answered the door but wasn't going to let whoever it was into the house.

Sam saw Michael freeze in his footsteps. Looking out the door, Sam exclaimed "Dammit lady. I told you I would call you IF I got him to agree to see you."

"I know what you said Axe but I need to talk to Michael now." Pearce said as she pushed past Nate. Sam motioned to Nate to stand back.

Michael was very angry. "I told you in no uncertain terms that I did not want to see you again. After I told you what was going on, you burned me again. Fiona is in jail and I have nothing. I have nothing to say to you. Get out this house."

Michael moved into the kitchen, looking out the window above the sink. Pearce addressed him in a cold tone. "If you had come to me when Anson had started this, we would not have ended up where we are. This is your fault Westen. Now how are you going to fix your mistakes? Maybe you should spend more time drinking because that's REALLY helping Fiona. Or you could take all the anger and pain you have building up inside of you and help the agency get Anson."

"Lady, he came to you and you sent him packing. He gave you everything, and I mean every shred of information on Anson that we had and you told him that it was too late to do anything. What makes you think he'll work for you now?" Jesse yelled.

Michael walked up to Jesse and held his hand up, signaling him to be quiet. "When Sam and I left you threw the files in your trash. You got them out of the trash and read the files. You think he's enough of a threat to bring down."

"I do and so do my superiors. We agreed on working together with you to bring Anson to justice. Anson goes behind bars for life and Fiona goes free. The only two conditions are that everything you do has to be done through official channels. If you break protocol even the slightest, we sever all ties with you."

Sam could tell the mention of Fiona going free sent Michael off into another dimension, so he asked the next obvious question. "You said there were two conditions. What's the other one?"

Pearce pulled her car keys from her pocket. "The other condition is that once he's done, he is out of the CIA for good. Help us get Anson and free Fiona or try to do it on your own and most likely get yourself killed. I'll wait for your answer."

As soon as Pearce opened the front door, Michael called out "If you can guarantee me Fiona's freedom, I'll help you."

"I guarantee she will be freed. I will even sweeten the deal. Before we bring Anson into custody, I can arrange for you to have some alone time with him. One on one. I'll be in touch."

Michael watched as she walked out the door. Nate asked "What's our next move, Bro?"

"We need to teach you some things if we are going up against Anson. Let's go to the garage and get to work." Michael said, grabbing a water from the fridge.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N...Don't own it...Was in a rather mushy mood the past few days, so I wrote this.

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A month after Fiona turned herself over to the authorities, Pearce made a visit to Fiona in her cell. Since Michael was cooperating with the agencies involved, Pearce thought it might do good to reward Michael with seeing Fiona in prison. The past week he had been surly and very disagreeable. Perhaps if he saw she was in good condition, he would be happier and then it would be a matter of diverting his energy towards Anson and not scattered by wondering if Fiona was ok.

On Thursday, Pearce drove Michael to the prison where Fiona was being held. Before he got out of the car, she laid down the ground rules. "You have thirty minutes with her. No sex. You will be frisked from head to toe. If you have anything on you now, even a toothpick, give it to me to hold until you come back. If the guards find anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that could be used as a weapon or means of escape, they will take it from you, you will not see Fiona and our deal is off. Do not under any circumstances talk about Anson because I don't know if there are bugs in the room and after a month of working our asses off, I do not want to do anything to give him the upper hand. Understand?"

"After a month of working on this, you still don't trust me?"

"Westen, after a month of not seeing Fiona, I wouldn't be surprised if you had a stick of C4 in those pants."

Michael put his sunglasses on the dashboard and got out of the car. "I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize this case or seeing Fiona today." Michael said before walking off towards the jail.

Once he passed several checkpoints, he was taken into a small room. It was white, with a table in the center. He sat down at the table and waited for them to bring Fiona into the room. When Michael finally saw her, she had on her prison uniform. Her hair was pulled back into a bun. The guard sat her down and shackled her to the chair so she would have limited movement.

Michael looked alarmed that she was shackled. "Does she have to be chained to the chair? I went through all these checkpoints and was frisked several times. I have no weapons, can't you just let her be free for the time we have?"

"Michael, calm down. I can move, I'm just limited to the confines of the chair." Fiona said, trying to reassure Michael everything was fine. She kept her hands flat on the table. "You look thinner and pale. You aren't taking care of yourself."

Michael took Fiona's hands in his and caressed them. He kept his head down as he spoke. "I'm fine. I've been busy. Not a lot of down time to rest." He paused and swallowed. Fiona heard it across the table. "It's hard trying to bring Anson down without your help."

Fiona noticed that Michael was rubbing her hands a little quicker and harder. "Look at me. Michael." He looked up at her and she finally got a good look at his face. He looked exhausted. She could tell his was trying hard to put on a brave front for her. She couldn't tell though if he could tell the same thing about her. She knew she had to make him believe she was ok. She smiled as she spoke. "I'm ok in here. Food is terrible, but better than the prisons in Ireland. Showers are freezing. There have been some fights but I survived. The worst part is that I do not look good in a jumpsuit."

Michael let out a laugh. He released one of Fiona's hands and wiped his eyes. "I miss you."

"I know. I miss you too, but you have to be detached from our situation while I'm gone. You have a job to do. With me in prison, Anson has nothing over you, so you need to rain hell fire on his ass and make him regret ever meeting you. Can you tell me how the whole operation is going?"

"I can't. I'm under strict orders not to discuss this with you." Michael attempted to lighten the mood by mocking Pearce. "If i step out of line at all, even the slightest infraction, the agency will let you rot in jail and they won't go after Anson." He smiled at Fi, hoping to get a smile in return.

Now it was Fiona's turn to break. She looked off to the side, trying hard to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes. "I should have listened to you Michael. I thought I was doing the right thing and was helping you, but I screwed up. I ruined everything we had. I can't help you from in here. I should be..."

"Fi, you said it yourself. You being in here, as much as it breaks my heart, gives me the leverage that I need to go after Anson." Michael stood up and positioned himself between the table and the chair that kept Fiona immobilized. He took her face in his hands and made him look at her.  
"I will get him and you will get out of here. I need you be the strong and fierce woman that I love. You being strong makes me stronger. Be strong for me."

He leaned forward and kissed Fiona. It a slow, lingering kiss. They were not aware that in another room Pearce was watching him on a closed circuit TV. A guard asked Pearce if she wanted him to go break them apart. She declined. She let them have their time together, uninterrupted, figuring a happy Michael would be a productive Michael.

Nearly an hour later, Pearce walked to the room to get Michael. She could hear Fiona laughing hysterically at a story Michael was telling her. Pearce opened the door and they both got quiet. "I'm sorry, but your time is up Westen. We have to get going."

Michael leaned forward and kissed Fiona passionately this time, causing Pearce to look away. "You are my life and I will always come for you, no matter what." Michael kissed her forehead and walked out the door. Pearce led him to the car. They drove in silence for most of the journey.

"Thank you for the extra time." Michael commented.

Pearce smiled. "I got caught up on a phone call and lost track of the clock. Simple mistake. When I walked in, you had Fiona laughing pretty hard. What was that about?"

"I told her a story about Sam trying to hook up with some girl he met and who had an angry husband that found out about it. I made it all up as I went along."

Pearce was puzzled. "Why would you make up a story?"

Michael looked at Pearce as if she had two heads. "I wanted to make her laugh. She so incredibly beautiful when she is happy and laughing. I needed to give her a distraction and something to remember while she's in there. Whatever time I get with her is not going to be spent letting her see how I truly feel right now."

"How do you feel, Westen?"

Taking his sunglasses from the dashboard, Michael replied with one single word. "Dead".

"Well, let's go get the son of a bitch and bring you back to life." Pearce said, knowing that the visit with Fiona was hard on Michael, but also necessary to make him work even harder.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N...Don't own it... :(

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Sam was working at the loft, helping Nate listen to a recorded meeting Jesse had with a former associate of Anson's. They were surprised to hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Michael was at Maddie's, still refusing to go to the loft, and Jesse was at his day job. Sam pulled his gun out and silently told Nate to open the door. Nate pulled the door open while Sam kept the gun pointed at what he was assumed was chest level.

"Do you greet all your guests this way Axe?"

"Dammit Pearce! I almost shot your head off!" Sam put his gun down and stepped aside. "Why are you here? Mike's at his mom's, you know that. "

Pearce walked in and leaned against Michael's work bench. "I need to know how Michael is doing mentally when I don't have him following up on leads? "

Nate, who had been on edge all day, began to yell. "Are you seriously are asking how he is? He's been doing anything and everything you asked. Fiona is still in jail and he hasn't seen or talked to her in a month. No one knows where Anson is hiding. There's been no news or work this week and he's losing his mind. If he isn't busy he sits and mopes. This isn't working. Anson should have been caught and Fiona should be out of jail."

"I agree and I do have some good news." Pearce said, crossing her arms.

Sam, who was laying on Michael's bed, sprung to his feet. "Tell me Fiona is getting out. I don't know how much longer Michael can last without her. I can't leave him alone because I'm afraid he's going to try to kill himself!"

"Settle down. She will be out soon enough. Actually, we have Anson in custody. There's a problem though. He won't talk. All he says is that he will only talk to Michael. Axe, you know him best besides Fiona, do you think he can handle an interrogation without killing him?"

Sam rubbed his unshaven face. "He could, but he's kinda mental and suicidal with Fi being gone for nearly two months now." Sam voice got louder as he finished his sentence. He stopped speaking and began to pace.

"Don't think of him as your friend right now. Answer my question based upon if he was your asset and you weren't sure of his mental stability. Do you think he can do the job but not go over the edge?"

Sam was about to say something when Nate interrupted. "Let him go over the edge. Anson has ruined Mike's life and I think Mike has earned the right to kill Anson. If you don't let him kill Anson, then I'll do it for Mike. Anson isn't going to live to see another day as far as I'm concerned."

"Slow down Nate. What she is getting at is that she needs Mikey to interrogate Anson to get evidence to use in a court. If you put Mikey in a room one on one with Anson, he'll kill him in maybe ten seconds flat.. Pearce needs Anson alive. You need someone there who will let him go after Anson to get the information, but they also need to be able to draw Mike back in so he doesn't kill him." Sam explained to Nate. "What if I was in there with Mikey when he does the interrogation? I've been steering him along the past two months, this shouldn't be any different. Could even do a little bad cop/good cop to throw Anson off balance."

Pearce took a moment to mull over what Sam was proposing. "I like what you are saying but we have to be smarter than Anson. I'm not blowing two months of constant investigation because Michael is hot headed and you can't control him."

Sam 's eyes widened. "When Mikey agreed to help you, you said one of the perks of this gig was he would get alone time with Anson when he was caught. He's in custody now. What if somehow he escaped and let's say he was found while you and Mikey were looking for him? Then do the interrogation when you 'find' him. He might have the crap beaten out of him, but he'll talk."

"There is a abandoned hotel that Mike uses for meetings. I went with him once. Sometimes there are homeless guys there or hookers, but we could pad the room so no one could hear us if they were around. You guys could talk to him all you want in there. We get the confession, Mike gets his punches in and Anson goes to hell." added Nate.

Pearce moved so she was standing toe to toe with Sam. "Axe, if Anson dies in your custody, you will never see the light of day again. Are we clear?"

"Crystal" Sam answered simply.

Nate wrote down the address of the hotel, along with a map, so Anson could be deposited there when they were ready. As Nate wrote the directions out, Sam had a proposition for Pearce.

"Before I tell Mikey you have Anson, I want you to get him five minutes with Fiona." Sam demanded.

Pearce looked at him in disbelief. "Absolutely not. He knows she is fine. I give him reports from when I see her. The less he sees her, the better. My bosses are worried if he has access to her, then he might divulge information. I know its hard on him but he understands the stakes."

Sam shouted. "Let him see her. You know he can't survive without her. Just five minutes, no cuffs, let him hold her and touch her. It'll calm him, focus him and get him angry because he can't have more time with her. You do that you'll get your confession."

"Fine. Five minutes alone and then he is my work horse." Pearce said. As she headed towards the door, she turned back around. "Get to work on that hotel room, it needs to be sound proof. I will send over some recording devices and some agency editing software. We can do use that to clean up background noises."

Sam looked at Nate and said "You heard the little lady, let's get to work. We got a fish named Anson to fry."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N...Own...nada...thanks to BNlove120 for reading :) I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading & all the reviews~even if I don't respond, I appreciate the feedback greatly & you guys are awesome!

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Maddie stood in the kitchen, smoking her fourth cigarette since breakfast. Michael sat on the couch, staring out the window. She was worried, especially since he wasn't nagging her about smoking in the house. Putting out her cigarette, she then walked over to the couch and sat down next to Michael. He didn't turn away from the window to look at her, so she placed her hand against his cheek and gently guided his head so he would look at her.

Since working with Pearce on the Anson case, his eyes had a fire in them. On occasion there might be a hint of fear, but usually it was a fierce look in his eyes. Today, she saw nothing but darkness and despair in his eyes. No anger or fire, just pain. This caused Maddie great sadness.

"Oh Michael" she said softly.

He tried to look away, but Maddie kept her hand on his head, so he would look at her. "Ma, I'm fine." He patted her hand and gave her a fake smile, hoping she would leave him alone.

"You are not fine. You barely slept last night. You didn't eat breakfast and you barely ate your lunch. All you've done today is sit on the couch, staring out the window. I know I can't help you much on this case, but I am here to listen. Don't keep it all inside."

Maddie's hand was still on his face, gently stroking his cheek with her thumb. Michael closed his eyes for a moment and let a tear escape. His eyes opened and looked right into Maddie's. They were wide and he spoke in a slow whisper, as if he was afraid to let anyone else hear him. "I am fighting a battle that I'm losing. I've been all over the world, hunting people who were threats to the government. I've found people hidden deep in jungles, mountains, deserts but I can't find Anson. I'm always three steps behind him and I'm losing more and more ground everyday."

"You'll find him. He thinks he's smart, but he'll slip up and you will be there in the end. Anson may be smart, but you are smarter and stronger. You will win."

Michael couldn't hold back his tears any longer. The past two months without Fiona were a strain on him and today, for some reason, was his breaking point. "What if I lose? I feel like I am so far behind that I will never catch him and Fiona will stay in jail for the rest of her life. I can't lose her, Ma. She's everything to me."

Maddie, who was trying not to cry herself, pulled Michael into her arms and held him as he cried. All of the stress and pain that Michael had been suppressing since Anson began his reign of terror were finally catching up to him and hitting Michael at once. Maddie held him tight in her arms, rocking him back and forth. Michael kept crying into Maddie's shoulder 'I can't lose her' and she simply replied 'I know, I know'.

Eventually Michael stopped crying. He leaned back on the couch and covered his face with his hands. "There's been no leads in a week and I haven't heard chatter about Anson from anyone that I know. I think he's so far underground that he's going to go away for a few years and then reappear when we least expect it. I just want a future, away from this crap, where I'm not always looking over my shoulder thinking about Anson."

Maddie stood up. "You will have your future Michael. Right now though, get off the couch and take a shower. Then I'm going to make you something and you are going to eat it without any arguments. Got it?"

Michael nodded. He stood up and kissed Maddie on the head. "Thanks Mom."

As Michael headed towards the shower, Sam ran into the house. "Mikey, what are you doing?"

"I need to shower and get something to eat. Why? Is Fiona ok?" Michael asked.

Maddie held her hand up to Sam's face. "Whatever it is, you can wait a hour until Michael is cleaned up. He's had a bad day."

Sam ignored her hand, walking past her. "Brother, shower and change. I'll help Maddie pack a few things to eat. Pearce has Anson in custody. It's over Mike. We won."

"I don't win until Fiona is out of prison. When is she getting released?" Michael asked.

Hesitating for a moment, Sam sighed and said "She's not getting out right away. I'm going to take you to see her for five minutes and then you have one last job to do."

"What job could I have to do? The deal was once Anson was caught, I'm done with my job and Fiona is released." Michael wondered anxiously.

Sam walked into the kitchen and began pulling yogurts and water out of the refrigerator. "Anson, being the crazy psycho bastard he is, wants to be interrogated only by you. He's ready to give up all his information and end this."

"Give me ten minutes and then we go see Fiona. I still don't know why Anson wants to talk to just me, but by the time I'm done with him..." Michael never finished his sentence as he walked out of the room.

Maddie was worried. "Sam, he's going to be alone with Anson? This will not turn out good. I have a bad feeling."

"I know Mad, but I'll be in the room with Mikey and I won't let things get out of hand. We are doing this in an 'unofficial' location, so Nate will be helping. If you see Jesse, have him call me."

"I will. Just take care of my boys or else I will kill you. SLOWLY. " Maddie threatened.

Sam nodded, showing Maddie he understood. He had a lot of packing to do in a few minutes, so he went out into the garage for supplies. He said a little prayer that this last job would be as simple and painless as it sounded, as he didn't know how much more Mikey could take.


	7. Chapter 7

Fiona sat in the small white room. She was told she had a guest. It was almost always Pearce. At first she hated the visits but soon realized it was the only way she could gage how Michael was doing with her incarceration. If the visit was quick, Fiona figured they were busy. If the visit was long, Fiona figured there was a lull in the case or Michael wasn't doing good. Almost always, Fiona gave Pearce a message to pass to Michael. Whether or not he got the message, was a whole separate issue.

Fiona sat with her back,to the door. She always hated sitting like that because you couldn't see who was entering the room. The more time she spent in prison, the more comfortable she became with sitting that way, since Pearce was her only visitor and odds were Pearce wasn't going to kill her. She sat waiting in the room, enjoying the quietness. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be transported to the loft. She loved the early mornings there, before people began to fill the streets below. The loft was so peaceful and quiet then and she would often wake up early just to watch Michael sleep. She figure she must have dozed off because all of a sudden she heard Michael calling her name.

"Fi, open your eyes. I need to talk to you. I don't have long."

She opened her eyes and saw Michael kneeling at her side, gently stroking her arm. "Michael, what are you doing here? I haven't seen you for almost a month. Where have you been? What's happening?" Fiona had so many questions that she wanted answered immediately.

Michael pulled Fiona to her feet and held her in his arms. "Fi, I need you to be silent for five minutes. I need you to listen to me." He put his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes and looked into her green eyes. They were filled with exhaustion and confusion. "They caught Anson. Pearce needs me to interrogate him and then I'm done. He only wants to talk to me and once I'm finished, I'll get you out of here. I don't know how long it's gong to take, but I've told you before that I will always come for you. I won't leave you here. I can't leave you here. I won't lose you to this place."

Fiona tried hard to contain her anger. "What if its not quick? What if he's playing a game? All he does is plays games with you."

"We aren't going to think about that. I'm going to get Pearce's information so she can have her evidence. After that I will get you out." Michael paused but then realizing he was pressed for time, he began to ramble. "II don't know when I'm going to see you again, so I have to say this. I love you Fi. I know I hardly ever say it to you, but I love you. I've loved you since the first time I saw you in Ireland. I loved you so much that I even kept you as my emergency contact after I left you in Ireland and you came to me in Miami. When you dated Campbell, I let you go because I wanted to see you happy. I only wanted to make you happy Fi. You are my happiness. I am so sorry I was blinded by trying to get back into the CIA. I screwed up so much in this relationship and I know you are hurt and I'm sorry. When you get out, I will make all of this up to you. I promise. I won't ever let anything like this happen again."

Fiona knew his words were true. She looked Michael in the face, with a fire in her eyes and told him "You'll make this up to me by not getting killed. Go interrogate the bastard and maybe slip up and hit him...a lot. Then come back and get me out of here."

Michael realized his time was almost up, so he took Fiona in his arms and kissed her. It was a rough, passionate kiss. They banged teeth several times and gasped for air. The guard finally came in and broke them apart.

"Times up. I have to take her back." the guard said.

As Michael let go of Fiona, he said "I have to go, but I will come for you. You are mine. Don't forget that."

Fiona held tight to his hand, almost crushing it in hers. Michael pulled his hand away and walked from the room. He gave her a small sad, smile as he backed out, never taking his eyes off of Fiona. Pearce, who was there looming in the hall outside the room, followed him, attempting to talk to him. Instead he waved her off, trying to distance himself from everything that was going on around him.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N...still own nothing!

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Kaitlin was cleaning tables inside Carlito's when she heard a very distinctive voice yelling. "Look, how hard is it to get a side of sweet potato fries? I can't believe that you screwed up my order. I've had some pretty incompetent waiters in my time, but you kid take the cake."

She rushed over to the table where the yelling was coming from. Grabbing the elbow of the waiter who was being shouted at, she whispered into his ear "Kyle, I'll switch tables with you. Take table fourteen. I got this one"

Kyle walked off and left Kaitlin with her patron. The man asked "How hard is it to get an order right?"

"Sam, calm down. It was an honest mistake. You know Kyle is a good kid. He's waited on you before. I put in an order for a big side of sweet potato fries for you." Kaitlin sat down next to Sam. "This isn't like you. What's the matter?"

Sam pursed his lips together. The stress of the past few weeks had been building up inside of him and he didn't even realize it until now. "I'm sorry Kaitlin. I'll make it up to Kyle in my tip." Sam threw his napkin on the table and leaned back.

"Why don't you talk to me and tell me why you are screaming at teenage waiters." Kaitlin was trying her best to get Sam to open up. This was not the Sam she knew.

"Kaitlin, you do not want to know. Look, you are a nice girl and I am not going to be one of those customers who share every little detail of their life with their waitress."

"Sam, I have known you for six years. You eat all your meals here. I know all your favorite specials. On any given weekday, I know what dinner you want and pretty much what time you'll be along to eat. When it's storming and you aren't working, you come pick me up and take me home after my shift has ended. You are more than a customer, you are my friend. As my friend, I want to help you with whatever is making you act so crazy!" Kaitlin finished her rant, leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. "This whole Fiona fiasco is getting to you, isn't it? Michael has to be doing pretty bad. He hasn't been here in nearly two months, you look like you aren't sleeping at all. Jesse is the only one who looks good and is usually calm when he's here."

"You are right. I have to babysit Mike because he's on an emotional roller coaster. I never realized how much Fiona's presence centered him, until she left. I give her a lot of credit. Don't tell her that though. I'm also trying to work with Nate. He's a good kid and wants to help his brother but..." Sam trailed off and seemed to be lost in a thought for a moment. "Can't forget about Mike's boss, Pearce. She's a piece of work. Comes in and thinks she can order us around while Mikey's not in his right mind. When she's there, I spend the whole visit either trying to spin what she wants into something I can have more control over or trying to get Michael to take control from her. Either way it's a big power struggle." Sam took a sip of his Mojito.

After a minute of silence, Sam asked Kaitlin "I have to go back to something you said. You said Jesse is USUALLY calm when he's here. When isn't he calm?"

Kaitlin looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Maybe for the past three or four months, there's this guy that comes to see Jesse. He's really creepy. Jesse sits in a corner with him, they talk and the guy leaves. Jesse seems very on edge after the guy leaves."

Kaitlin noticed a customer wanting her attention, so she got up and walk from the table. A few minutes later she returned. Sam pulled out his cell phone and showed a picture to her. "Is this the guy Jesse sees?" Without hesitation Kaitlin answered yes.

"DAMN IT!" Sam shouted as he slammed his hand on the table. He took out his cell phone and dialed Nate. He told Nate to bring Michael and head to the hotel interrogation room they had set up. Nate also needed to find Jesse and tell him to meet them at the hotel as well. Sam threw money on the table to cover his bill, kissed Kaitlin on the cheek and walked off.

"Pearce, we have a problem. Jesse's been meeting with Anson. Is he working undercover with any of the agencies? He's not? Jesse's a damned double agent."

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A/N *GASP* Sorry if I upset you, but remember its just a story!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N...not fully pleased with this chapter, but Sam said I was done...Thanks to my gals who I tortured w/ my insecurity before I put this up!

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Michael was in the garage, gathering up anything that might be useful in getting Anson to talk. Maddie entered and stood next to him, watching his moves. She saw how his mind was churning and constantly working on what tools he needed or could make. She hated to interrupt him, but she didn't know the next time she would get to speak with him alone.

"Michael, we need to talk." Maddie tried to keep her tone gentle, remembering how fragile Michael had been since Fiona was in jail.

"Mom, I can't talk right now. Anson's been caught and as part of my deal with Pearce to get Fi free, I have to interrogate him. We can talk after I get done. I'll come back and we'll sit down and talk about whatever you want. Right now I need to focus on work."

Maddie was not going to be pushed off so easily. "No Michael, we are going to talk now. I know you have a job to do but you need to think about somethings. Fiona has spent almost three months in jail because she wanted to save you from Anson. It's not the first time and it certainly won't be the last time she does something like this for you. You need to rethink your priorities and make some changes. All that girl has done is put you first but the best you have done is made her second, sometimes even third best."

Michael looked at his mom feeling some anger that she would have this discussion now but also confusion. "What do you want me to do mom? I'm trying to get her out of jail. Everything I've done is to get her free."

"Getting her out of jail is a start. You need to stop being selfish. Put Fiona first and give her what she wants and deserves."

Michael turned away and rifled through some boxes, pretending to be looking for something. "I don't know what she wants. I'm not ready to get married and settle down like Nate."  
"She doesn't want the ring, the fancy wedding or the big house. All Fiona wants is you. When you get her back, lavish that woman with all your love and attention. Make her number one, two and three. You screw up again, you may not get another chance. Understand?"

"I do mom. Thanks." Michael said smiling at his mother.

About five minutes later Nate arrived. "Mike, I talked to Sam. He wants us to head over the hotel where Anson will be. He sounded pissed about something. Told me to find Jesse. I tried but I don't know where he is."

Michael patted his brother on the shoulder. "Everything is fine. Jesse will show up sooner or later. Let's just get the car ready and proceed as we planned."

As the Westen brothers were packing the car for their trip, Sam called. "Mikey! Glad I got you brother. Is Jesse with you?"

As soon as Sam asked that, Michael watched Jesse pull up to the house, but sit in his car for a moment.

"He just pulled up. We are almost done packing the car and we'll all be there in thirty minutes."

"Mike, Jesse is working with Anson. Kaitin said Jesse meets every few weeks with him. I asked Pearce if there was a secret operation and she said Jesse isn't working with any agencies. I checked with everyone I and I mean everyone I know and no one had any idea what I was talking about. They weren't even doing their usual confirm or deny dance. They all flat out had no clue. Get Jesse to the hotel and just follow my lead when we're there."

As Sam talked, Jesse walked up to Michael. Michael smiled broadly at Jesse. After the call ended, Michael asked Jesse "Where have you been? Sam and Nate have been looking for you."

Jesse tried to act nonchalant. "I was at my full-time job. I'd like to keep that job as long as I can, so I have to show up once in awhile."

Michael looked Jesse directly in the eyes and smiled. He noticed that there was a little bit of nervousness and also annoyance. "Pearce has Anson. I have to interrogate him now, so you and Nate finish packing the car and then we'll head over to where Pearce will bring Anson."

"What do you mean Pearce has Anson? Where is he?" Jesse asked.

Michael ignored Jesse's question. "Nate, you drive. I will be back in a second. I have to say goodbye to Mom."

As Michael walked off, Jesse grabbed Michael's arm. "Why do we have to go if he wants to see you?"

"I'm going inside and talk to my mother, then we will go. We are all going because we are a team. You are a part of this team, right Jesse?" Michael asked as he freed himself from Jesse, never breaking eye contact or losing his smile.

As he walked into the house, he could hear Jesse complain to Nate about having to go with them. "This is crazy that we have to go watch Michael interrogate Anson. There is no reason for us to be there. Michael..."

Nate slammed the trunk shut. "Shut up! Mike asked us to go. He obviously needs us there if not for tactical support, then emotional support. So just do what he asks and just stop complaining."

Michael smiled as he listened to his baby brother yell at a man who was clearly bigger and stronger than he was.

"Michael, what are you doing in here? I thought you were going." Maddie asked as she saw Michael step into the kitchen.

"We're leaving in a minute. I have to talk to you first." Michael grabbed Maddie's shoulders and looked her in the eye. He said in a whisper "Get your bags and head somewhere. I don't want to know where, just get in the car and go. Make sure you aren't followed. If you can't shake the tail, stop somewhere public like a mall. There's a phone in your spare bag. I will call you when it is safe to come home. Do not call anyone on the phone. Understand?"

"Yes. You need to do something for me." said Maddie, lighting a fresh cigarette.

"What Mom?"

"Keep Nate and yourself safe. You are my boys and I want you both home in one piece."

Michael kissed Maddie on the head and said "I will mom." He walked out the door and got into the car with Nate and Jesse. Michael sat in the backseat, with his gun in his hand, hoping he wouldn't have to fire it at Jesse.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N...Thanks for all my friends who gave me ideas & let me hash everything out with them. I appreciate all the reviews here & on twitter and adore you all! I hope you enjoy...I know I had fun with this!

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They arrived at the hotel. Jesse got out of the car first and began to unload the trunk as per Michael's instructions. Michael stopped Nate before he got out.

"I'm going to tell you something, but I want you to act normal. Sam found out Jesse is working with Anson. When we get in there, Sam is going to call the shots. He knows more than I do right now, so whatever he tells you to do, you do it. Let's get to work."

Nate and Michael carried the rest of the supplies into the abandoned hotel, setting it down in a room adjoining Anson's temporary interrogation room.

"Mikey, come with me. I want to show you something I found in one of the other rooms. Nate and Jesse, you guys stay here in case Pearce comes while we are away." Sam ordered. Nate sat down, while Jesse seemed to get more and more agitated as the day progressed.

As they walked off, Jesse complained to Nate. "Where the hell is Anson? Pearce should have had him here so Michael could have gotten to work when he walked into the room."

Nate didn't know what to make of Jesse's mood. Knowing that he was working with Anson, he decided to keep his mouth shut and let Jesse continue on his tirade, secretly hoping he'd say something that would show his true colors.

Michael walked with Sam and asked "Sam what the hell is going on? You are telling me Jesse is working with Anson and no one knows, not even Pearce. She has to know something. Your sources didn't have any info on whether not there was an undercover op?"

Sam ducked into a room and Michael followed. "When I told you I questioned everyone I knew and they knew nothing, I meant nothing. I've been doing this long enough to know when they really do know something and aren't saying anything versus when they don't know anything at all. Pearce seemed just as surprised as I was about Jesse. I have thought about it and thought about it and I can't come up with a good reason why Jesse would work with Anson. Sure he might have dirt on Jesse, but its not as bad as what he has on you and Fiona. You have the skills, clearance and contacts Anson needs. He wanted you from the start. So why Jesse?"

Michael sat crouched, resting on his heels. He let out a loud sigh. "I don't know Sam. I need to talk to Pearce face to face about this and then I can see how she reacts. I can read her better than you."

"You think she's running something and not telling us?"

"I don't know Sam. At this point, anything is possible."

The men were quiet for a moment. Sam knew Michael's thoughts were turning to Fiona, so it was time to refocus Michael on the job. "How are we going to do this when Anson gets here?"

Michael had everything planned out in his head. "You'll be in the room with me. We are audio taping, so you can't say anything. Non-verbal cues the whole time. If you think I need to step back, grab me or get my attention as silently as possible. We can edit the tape but we have a short amount of time to do that. If I'm going to lay hands on him, I'll signal to stop the tape. We can't have any of that recorded" Michael was going to continue but Nate came into the room.

"Bro, Pearce is here. She wants to see you before she brings Anson inside." Nate said. Michael nodded his head and Nate left.

Sam patted Mike on the shoulder. "Ready to talk to Pearce?"

"I am Sam. The sooner we get through all this, the sooner I get Fiona back home." Michael said in a monotone voice.

"You'll be fine Mike. Your head is in the right place. Keep your focus and we'll be done before you know it."

Sam would have continued with his pep talk but Pearce walked into the room. He left silently, leaving Michael to grill her about Jesse.

"Before you say anything Michael, I just want you to know that I had no idea Jesse was meeting Anson and neither did the agency. I asked around after Sam called and no one knew about any secret ops. Anson has eyes everywhere. Are you sure Jesse doesn't have a dark secret Anson's exploiting?" Pearce said, waiting to see what Michael would say.

"It's possible but I don't know what he would have over him. He has to have a reason for this. Jesse may be a lot of things, but a traitor isn't one of them."

Pearce began to walk out of the room. "I need you to talk to Jesse before you question Anson. This can't be lingering and you need to go into this with a clear head. I'll get Sam to come in here for backup. You want me to have Nate come too?"

Michael immediately answered "No. I want to keep Nate's exposure to what's going to happen here to a minimum. You stay with Nate. I want Jesse here with just Sam."

Pearce left, sending in Sam and Jesse. Sam stood in the doorway, blocking it in case Jesse decided to run.

"Pearce said you wanted to see me? Here I am. What's up."

Michael glared at Jesse. "Sam talked to Kaitlin. She told him interesting information."

Jesse stared back at Michael, meeting his gaze. "I've talked to Kaitlin before. She's very interesting. What did she have to say?"

Sam started "Well, her information was interesting. Personally, I think she's been sneaking drinks from the bar because there is no way you would do what she was accusing you of doing. I mean, if you REALLY did what she said without good reason, you pretty much slapped Michael and Maddie in the face for taking you in and making you part of of their family. I love Mikey as a brother, so you'd be slapping me. Let's not leave out Nate and my favorite Irish firecracker, so if you did what Kaitlin said, you'd be slapping five people in the face. Five people who would have no trouble connecting their fists to your face. I think you are smarter than that, so I'm going to give you the benefit of a doubt." Sam moved from the doorway and now stood behind Jesse. He lowered his tone and said "Tell us you didn't do it Jesse. Tell us you didn't sell out your friends and family."

Jesse looked at Michael who was standing in front of him and said "Tell me what you want me to say Mike. You are off your rocker and I'm not going to play this game. Tell me what to say and I'll say it so we can get Anson out of our lives."

Michael grabbed Jesse by his shirt and spun him around, slamming him into the wall behind them. "Kaitlin said you met with Anson. I want you to tell me that you weren't working for him. I want you to tell me that missions weren't screwed up on purpose by you because Anson was controlling you. Can you tell me that? " Michael kept Jesse pressed pinned to the wall, making sure Jesse couldn't punch or kick his way out of Michael's hands.

"I can't do that. I was working for Anson. I didn't want to do it. I was blinded. I had no options!" Jesse stammered.

"I took you in Jesse. My mom let you live with her. She treated you like a son and this is how you repay me, by stabbing me in the back? You had options Jesse. You could have said no and walked away. You could have come to me. How much is he paying you?" Michael shouted.

"He's not paying me anything! He..." Jesse stopped.

Sam, who returned to the doorway when Michael grabbed Jesse, chimed in "Better tell Mikey the truth or else he's just going to get more mad."

"Let go of me and I'll tell you."

Sam could tell Michael wasn't going to let go of Jesse. He came up behind Michael, placed a hand on his arm and said in a calm, hushed tone "Down boy. Let him go. You aren't going to do anything stupid like fight us or run away, right Jesse?"

"I won't fight or run. I talk better when I'm not pinned to a wall."

Michael pulled Jesse forward a little bit, but slammed him back into the wall.

"Michael, let Jesse go. Slamming him repeatedly into the wall isn't going to solve our problem." Sam shouted. He knew once Michael didn't relax his stance that he'd have to use a harder approach.

Michael stepped away and kept his back to Jesse as he spoke. "Mike, Anson came to me after Fiona went to jail. He told me that he could help me find who killed my mom. Everything those first few weeks were in such a state of chaos that his offer sounded reasonable. All I had to do was some 'errands' for him. No one would get hurt and he'd find information on mom's killer."

He paused. Michael continued to stand with is back to Jesse. Sam motioned for Jesse to continue. "I did a few errands, mostly jobs that brought Anson money. He asked to plant a few bugs and inform on you..."

Michael spun around and started to lunge at Jesse. Sam stopped him. "Mikey let him continue. This is going someplace. If I'm wrong, I'll get you a metal pipe to beat him with, but let him finish."

"Anyway, I told him I would just to keep him calm. I went to Pearce and she told me where to plant the bugs so we wouldn't raise suspicion and what information to give to Anson. Every few days Pearce had me meet with Anson just to feed him information and to see what I could get out of him."

Michael took a moment to process the information Jesse had supplied. "Why would she have the two of us working Anson?"

"I asked her and she said she needed me to pull Anson out of his hole and to give him the information he wanted so he could come after you. Eventually the jobs that I did for him and his hounding of you would get him captured." Jesse explained.

Sam, who was still in the doorway, had a question for both men. "If she had the two of you working to bring him out so he could be captured and it took us over three months capture him, why all of a sudden did he get sloppy and demand to speak to Mikey only? There has to be an alterior motive."

Michael looked out the window of the room they occupied. "I don't know Sam, but its time I find out why Anson wants to talk to me." Michael walked out the door towards where Anson would be detained, with Sam and Jesse following him quickly.


	11. Chapter 11

Michael entered the room where Anson had been brought. He stood there and stared at Anson for a moment.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Anson asked. He sat in a chair, back against the wall. "What questions do you have for me? I'm sure you have some. This is your time to ask, as I doubt we will ever get time alone like this again." Anson looked at Sam who was watching Michael very closely. "Maybe you are here to just use me as a punching bag and Sam is here to make sure you hurt me, but just not kill me. Someone here besides you wants me dead..."

Michael cut Anson off with a left punch to his jaw. "Why did you choose me?"

"This is how you want to spend our time together, rehashing the past? You know why I chose you. Instead of working on what you already know, let's discuss what you don't know." Anson said very calmly, spitting blood from his mouth.

Michael ignored Anson. Instead he recounted what he knew so far. "You chose me. You wrote my psych evaluation, you know the type of family I came from, you knew everything single mission and job I've ever done. What made me so worthy of your attention?"

Anson pretended to be hurt. "All this time together I can't believe you don't know why I wanted you. Fine, I will indulge you. Aside from your physical prowess, you are extremely loyal and faithful to your friends and on occasion your enemies. You are driven and tenacious. If you have a goal, you do not stop until that goal has been completed and will find ways to complete your goal even if the game has changed. These are all qualities I admire and would find useful." Anson swallowed and continued. "After careful review and analysis Management and I found you would be an appropriate fit with the Machine. You could have surpassed everyone in the Machine and become my right hand. Even after I decided I had to rebuild I still had hopes you would help me Michael, but you failed me. I should have expected it. Frank failed you, so subconsciously anyone who tries to mold you into something, you will fail them too."

Michael laughed. "I excelled when I left home. The Army was the best the thing I could have done. It got me away from my father. They gave me direction and focus. I do want to talk about my father."

Michael stopped the recording device that was in the room. He walked out of the room and into the next one. Pearce protested Michael stopping the interview.

"What are you doing? We don't have any information that we don't already know. Get in there and pick up the pace Westen."

Ignoring Pearce, Michael walked over to one of the bags he had Nate carry inside. Pulling out a long, round, black tube with two points on the end, he spoke to Nate. "Come in the room with me. Anson's going to tell you something that I know but didn't tell you yet. Once he tells you what he did, you can do what you want. I wanted you to hear it from him."

Nate followed Michael back into the room. Anson smiled. "So this is Nate. I'm sorry I can't get up to shake your hand but I'm chained to the chair right now."

"Nate, ask Anson what he did to Dad." Michael said as he leaned against the wall.

Nate looked at his brother, his eyebrows knitted together and asked "Why am I asking him that? He knew Dad? Did you know my father, Anson?"

"Michael, you didn't tell Nate that I knew Frank? That was not very nice of you to leave your brother in the dark like that, but then again you are closer to Sam, so Sam probably knows what where this is leading."

"Did you know my father?" Anson saw Nate raise the black stick and quickly strike it across Anson's face. Quickly, he raised his arm again and brought the stick down on the other side of Anson's face. Nate repeated the question.

"I knew your father. we actually talked about you a bit. Michael was your big protector. He left you home with your father while he escaped. You bore the brunt of your father's anger at that point. You must harbor some anger and resentment towards Michael. Your protector was gone. Blow after agonizing blow dealt upon you all because Daddy was mad Michael left."

Nate raised the heavy black stick but this time dealing a blow to Anson's knees. Anson yelled in pain.

Sam leaned over to Michael and asked in a whisper "Do you think we should tell Nate that's an electric cattle prod?"

Michael whispered back "Nate's doing pretty good with using it as a club. Let him be."

Anson yelled out loud "Do you think inflicting pain on me will heal the wounds your brother caused? Does causing me pain make it easier to deal with the fact that your father died at my hands?" Anson noticed that Nate's facial features changed from anger to shock. Anson softened his tone. "I'm sorry. Michael, did you not tell Nate that I killed your father because Frank was no longer any use to me in my pursuit of you?"

Nate looked at Michael, who turned on the tape recorder and moved behind Anson. Michael spoke to Anson in a low tone, bending down so he was level with his ear. "You're right. I didn't tell Nate that you poisoned our father that make it look like a heart attack because I was a little preoccupied working on your missions and trying to save Fiona."

Signaling to Nate to be quiet, Michael spoke in a loud even tone. "So you, Anson Fullerton, admit to killing Frank Westen?"

"I do admit to killing Frank Westen and without remorse. He was no longer any use to me and was becoming very dangerous when he suspected I had ulterior motives to discussing you so much. He was truly sorry he got to apologize to you and tell you how proud of you mad him. Nate on the other hand concerned him a great deal because he took your Dad's beatings and acted out himself. Nate was a bit of a disappointment to him."

While Anson was talking Nate realized there was a switch on the club. He was surprised when he saw the wave of electricity flowing from one side to the other. He quickly started poking Anson with the prod.

"This is for killing my Dad."

Zap

"This is for ruining Mike's career."

Zap

"This one is for Fiona, because you ruined her life"

Finally Nate gave Anson a longer zap than he had been giving him previously.

"This one is for Mike because you broke him. You had no right to do that!"

Michael pulled Nate away from Anson, who was dangling between consciousness and unconsciousness. Nate wanted to inflict more damage to Anson, but Michael held him back. "He's not worth it Nate. Go cool off. I got this."

Michael threw a punch at Anson for good measure and stormed out of the room after Nate.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N...hope you are all liking it! Thanks so much to everyone who reads/reviews & favorites/alerts my story! Love u all! Thanks for my twitter gals for helping me hash out so much stuff with them.

* * *

Sam waited for Michael to return, watching Anson slowly come back to full consciousness.

"About time you came around." Sam said.

"Where's Michael? I fully expected him to be here when I awoke. I still have things to discuss with him."

Sam cracked his knuckles. "Kids these days are all about using tools when facing an opponent. Me? I still prefer good old fashioned hand to hand combat, mixed with the occasional use of a baseball bat."

*Slam*

Sam punched Anson in the stomach.

"Mikey's good with weapons and stuff like that, but he never had the stamina to either be punched repeatedly or do the repetitive punching himself. He always tired out before me."

*Punch*

I am a SEAL so of course we have training for that. Even when Mikey needed to go twelve rounds with someone, after Fi turned herself in, I was ready for twelve more. He passed out."

Sam walked across the room and grabbed a baseball bat he had brought with him.

Anson, after regaining his breath, spoke. "You really are very interesting Sam. You have a blind devotion to Michael, which I find very sweet. What I can't figure out is why you are so attached to the Westen clan. Maybe its because your parents died when you were seven and you were passed around from relative to relative. Never had a real home or real familial love, you transfer all that need for a family onto the Westens. Maddie's your mother and Michael's your brother. However in some instances, you have been acting like a father, which suggests deep issues upon your part as well and I find that interesting. Your newest lady friend, Audrey, is older? You want to feel like you are with someone's mother, since you can't be with Madeline."

Sam swung the bat at Anson's legs. He let out a howl as the bat made contact with his knees.

"Were you not hugged enough as a kid? Oh wait, Mommy killed Daddy when she found him in bed with his sister. Yeah, I said it HIS sister."

Sam stopped for a moment because for a brief second he thought Anson looked surprised. Realizing he had the upper hand at the moment, he rushed up to Anson and grabbed his hair tightly at the scalp and got into his face.

"You seemed surprised Anson. Is that maybe because I managed to dig up a skeleton from your files? Guess what? You aren't the only one with methods to get information you son of a bitch. I read your file. In fact we all read your file, that's how we know Rebecca was your daughter."

"Was?" Anson seemed surprised at Sam's wording.

"You heard me. You lead the Special Ops team right to your little girl's doorstep. They took her into custody and they killed her." Sam yelled.

Anson shook his head. "No, that is incorrect. I admit to planting listening devices in her home and I listened as they took her into custody. She was lead away from the house, I heard her shouting that they would never find me and that they could all burn in hell. She called me just before I was captured."

"They lead her from the house and took her to her a holding facility. They let her call you and let's just say that during the frisking, she knocked out several guards and stole a weapon. They pumped her full of lead. As she lay there dying, the tape showed that she kept asking 'Where's my father?' over and over. Where were you Anson? Where were you when you little girl was dying and calling out for you? I'll tell you where you were...you were hiding like the damned coward you are."

Anson shifted in his chair. Sighing deeply he shook his head. "I told Rebecca a hundred times to be careful and not get caught. She was a grown woman and knew the consequences of being captured. She was always an impulsive child but I thought I had taught her to control that facet of her personality. I guess she forgot our teachings."

Sam stopped and stared at Anson. "You really are a monster. Tell any grown man that his child is dead, they would be demanding to see evidence or having a breakdown. You sit there and just talk about how she was careless. I kind of feel sorry for Rebecca now."

"Don't feel sorry for her Sam. She was stupid. She got what she deserved, death."

Sam had enough. As much as he detested Rebecca for the part she played in Anson's scheme, he hated even more that Anson did not shed one tear for his daughter and was calling his own flesh and blood 'stupid'. Sam had no tolerance for that, no matter how bad an egg she was. He grabbed the baseball bat and swung at Anson. It was time for him to feel more pain.

*Slam* Sam made contact with Anson's right shoulder.

"This is for making my life a living hell. Thanks to you, I look like a Russian agent and they froze my assets."

Anson gasped for breath. "That is what you get for trying to turn the tables on me. I told you all countless times, you come after me and I will make your life a living hell. Michael pursued me and I framed Fiona for the bombing. I warned him countless times through others to stop his pursuit of me or join me in rebuilding. He didn't listen so he and Fiona paid."

*Slam* Sam slammed the bat into Anson's left arm, trying his best to get hit Anson's wrist.

"You can't go around ruining other people's lives. By taking Fiona from Michael you ruined their lives and four other lives. How do you sleep at night?"

Anson smiled, even though he was in excruciating pain. "I sleep very well knowing that you all suffered, especially Michael and Fiona. Guess you didn't get much rest, did you Sam? My little plan took you away from Carlito's and your drinks. You actually had to do some work."

*Slam* Sam's bat made contact with Anson's right forearm. Anson groaned.

"That was for Nate. The poor guy has barely been home in the past three months and is missing his child grow up because he's been busy doing whatever Michael needed. Poor guy has taken on a lot of responsibility for something he had no part in to begin with."

*Slam* The bat now made contact with Anson's knees. Anson screamed in pain.

"Jesse. You played Jesse. You still have to face him. I wouldn't want to be in that chair when he gets to talk to you. You really have some nerve to play the 'Oh, I'll help you find your mom's killer' card."

Anson wheezed. "I offered him help and he took it. Its not my fault that after all these years he still has vengeance in his heart. He really was an easy one to turn. Gave me some great intel on your operations."

*Punch* Sam threw a hard punch right to Anson's nose. Blood began to gush forth.

"This is for destroying my brother's life. You broke him. Every night he's cried for Fiona. I hear him crying even when he thinks I don't. I've spent my time consoling Michael, trying to keep him from killing everyone in his path and praying to God he doesn't kill himself. Do you know how hard it is to see a grown man go through all that?"

*Punch* Sam punched Anson in the face two times.

"The first one was for Fiona. I haven't seen her in over three months but I'm sure she's doing about as good as Michael. The second one was for Madeline. That poor woman has been a rock to her son. If I wasn't taking care of him, she was taking care of him. If he wasn't crying on my shoulder or screaming about something to me, he was crying or screaming to her. She took everything he threw at her. At her age, she shouldn't be going through all this drama."

Sam grabbed Anson by the hair. He was close to being unconscious. Sam was going to throw another punch when Pearce walked into the room.

"Axe, enough. I still need him alive" she said.

He was going to ignore her but he felt Michael's hand wrap around his arm. "Enough Sam. You did your damage. Go cool off."

Sam turned around and left, punching the door on his way out.

"Where are we going with this Pearce? You have on tape he killed my father and that he framed Fiona. What else does the CIA want?" Michael asked Pearce.

Pearce was checking Anson's vitals. "We need more information. Let's take a dinner break and then we'll get back to work."

They shut the door and turned off the light, leaving Anson alone in the room.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N Warning...gets dark at the end...

* * *

As Michael and Pearce walked out of the room, he grabbed her arm and spun her around. "We need to talk" he said in a deep, low tone.

"There is no time to talk. We need to finish this up soon." Pearce was not going to talk to Michael and was trying to free her arm from his grip. The more she tried to break free, the tighter his grip became. "Let me go."

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me something. Why did you have Jesse working with Anson when I was trying to find him? If you knew where Anson was you should have just grabbed him and not had me play games with him for three months."

Pearce freed her arm from Michael's grip. "How did you know Jesse was working for me? That was classified."

Michael followed Pearce who was walking towards a room at the end of the hall. "I heard it straight from the source himself. You wanted me to clear this up with Jesse before I started with Anson and I did. I questioned Jesse and he told me the truth. Once he realized I knew he was meeting Anson on a regular basis he told me everything. He told me Anson offered to help find his mother's killer in exchange for some jobs he needed completed. He told me about the bugs and the information he turned over to Anson. Right now, I don't know what is worse-him working with Anson to begin with or you running an operation with Jesse while we were working with you to find Anson. You knew where Anson was for months and you never told me. You never moved on bringing him into custody. Fiona could have been out by now if you moved sooner!" Michael was now yelling.

"Yes, I admit that Jesse was working for me. The jobs that Anson had him do were all financial related. I needed Jesse to do the jobs and get me evidence of his activities. We were building a case against Anson. The more Jesse had to do for him, the more evidence I got for our case. I know you wanted to get Fiona out of jail quickly but this whole operation was not about getting Fiona out of jail quickly, it was about to getting her out by providing quality evidence that would convict Anson for the rest of his life and show that she was framed."

Michael felt himself getting angrier as Pearce talked. Finally he lost control. "If Anson needed jobs he could have called me, he could dangled Fiona's freedom over my head instead of constantly taunting me and trying kill me. You should have told me that Jesse was working with you. After everything I've been going through I can't believe you would actually withhold information like this. I could have used Jesse's position with Anson to my advantage."

Even as a seasoned CIA agent, Pearce found herself unnerved by Michael's outrage. She took a deep breath and spoke. "You lost the woman you love, who also happens to be an asset. I know what it's like to lose those things and I know you were blinded by your anger and grief. I've been there. I knew how nonfunctional you were and I knew you were going through the pain of losing someone." Pearce stopped for a moment as she felt tears building in her eyes. Discussions like this also made her think of Jansen and what she had lost when his mission went badly. She knew Michael was suffering but probably could never make him see that she understood his feelings. Sighing, she continued "You had the steady contact with Anson. I have plenty of evidence that he threatened you. I have evidence he threatened your family. I have evidence that he even threatened to kill me and other higher-ups. Anson would not come out to play with you face to face, but he would come to play with Jesse. Jesse got me Anson's financial records and gave me proof of who gave him money and how he was financing the rebuilding of the Machine. I needed the two of you to bring him to me. The information you finally are getting today is the proof we needed to free Fiona permanently. She can never go back to jail again for the bombing."

Michael was not hearing anything Pearce was saying. Instead he pushed passed her, grabbed a metal pipe that was laying on the ground and rushed into the room where Anson was.

"Wake up you son of a bitch. I haven't slept in three months so neither will you." Michael shouted as he swung the metal pipe at Anson's chest.

"You think beating me is going to end this Michael? You think this is going to get Fiona out of jail? Face it Michael, you lost. I offered you the world and you turned me down so I had to take your world away. You don't get the girl and the future. You get nothing. I'm leaving you as an empty shell. Would you have rather I killed Fiona? I would have enjoyed that. I would have enjoyed doing many things to her that would have pained you both." Anson yelled at Michael, trying to break from from his restraints.

*Slam* Michael took the end of the pipe and drove it into Anson's left foot. Anson howled as several bones in his foot broke at the same time.

* * *

Sam was going to rush into the room to stop Michael, when Pearce pointed a gun at Sam's head. "You let him do this. This needs to be done."

"He's going over the edge. Mike's going to kill Anson and nothing will be solved. Fiona will still be in jail and so will Mikey. I am not going to let him go down for murdering Anson."

Pearce took the safety off her gun. "He will not kill Anson. He's not a killer. He will know when to stop, so I suggest you sit your ass down and let him work."

Nate, who was also in the room, stared at Sam in disbelief. "You are going to let her do that? How can you let her boss you around? You can easily take her."

Sam lowered his voice. "A CIA agent has a gun pointed at me while we are running an interrogation at a non-governmental location. We have to play by her rules right now or else she can flip everything on us and make us look bad. If it gets too bad we'll go get Mikey. We'll know it and we'll have to take her. Sit tight Nate, this isn't over."

* * *

Michael continued to swing at Anson. Sometimes missing him on purpose to scare him, others hitting him with a force that would have killed a weaker man. "If I didn't want to join the Machine, you could have just left me as a burned spy. That would have been enough punishment. You had no right to take Fiona from me. I never took a single thing from you. Why did you feel the need to destroy me?"

"No one turns down Anson Fullerton and lives to tell about it. Your father turned on me, Jansen turned on me, Victor turned on me and now you turned on me. You are alive but seeing you after all this time shows me that I killed your heart. How does it feel Michael to be dead?"

Michael stopped mid-swing. "What do you mean Jansen turned on you? How do you know Jansen?"

Anson laughed. "Pearce never told you. Oh this is absolutely delicious. Even though I am in blinding pain right now, this makes me happy. Pearce knows me very well. Her fiance Jansen got a little too close to me in Paris, so I had to kill him. It was never proven that I knew him or had any connection to his death, but Pearce never stopped blaming me. I could have ruined her as well, but I figured the guilt and sorrow from having your fiance killed a week from your wedding was plenty for her to deal with for the rest of her life. Just like the guilt you carry in your mind and soul about not listening to Fiona when she told you over and over again to drop your pursuit of your burn notice."

Pearce ran into the room, with Sam and Nate close behind. Sam restrained Pearce, not knowing what she would do if she got closer to Anson. She began to yell while trying to break from Sam's grip. "Do not listen to him Michael. He's a liar. He killed your father, he burned you and took Fiona from you. He's a snake. Give him what he deserves."

Michael felt like the walls were closing in on him. He threw the heavy metal pipe across the room and let out a loud animal like scream. Michael lept over to where Sam was restraining Pearce and pushed Sam aside with such ease that even Sam had to admit he was scared. He grabbed Pearce by the throat and held her tight. He face was turning red and she was trying to pull his hand off her neck. "What you are you not telling me? How many more lies have you told me?"

As Michael squeezed her throat a little tighter, he felt a small soft hand upon his. He closed his eyes and quickly opened them again thinking he was imaging the sensation. When he realized he wasn't and saw who the hand belonged to, he let out a soft "Oh God!" Releasing his grip on Pearce, she fell to the floor, gasping for air. Michael walked over and immediately took Fiona in his arms, not sure if she was there or if he was indeed losing his mind. She wrapped one arm around his shoulder and placed her other hand on his head, while he buried his face in her neck.

Jesse gently pushed his way past Michael and Fiona. "Everyone who isn't chained to a chair needs to leave this room. I don't care where you go, just get out."

Jesse walked up to Anson and said "Man it must be suck being chained to that chair. I have to tell you a secret. You know all those jobs you made me run, the bugs you made me plant and the info I gave you about Michael trying to find you? It was all part of a grand plan leading up to this very moment. Fiona is out of jail and here in the same place you are. You are the most unlucky bastard I've ever seen. Oh yeah, I need to thank you for trying to help me find my mom's killer." Jesse pulled out a set of brass knuckles from his pocket, put them on his hand and punched Anson in the jaw. The sound of his jaw bone breaking could be heard throughout the room.

Jesse continued to taunt Anson while Michael and Fiona had a reunion. "Why? How?" was all Michael could say. He was still clinging to Fiona, afraid if he let her go, she would disappear.

"You know why she's here? She's here because the room is bugged. Everything that happened here, was transmitted to the CIA offices where they organized Fiona's release from prison. So she's a free woman." Jesse said.

"Laws" Anson groaned.

Jesse smiled at Anson. "You know what the good thing is about this whole thing that happened? Laws are kind of a loose guideline. When you build an organization of burned spies that could potentially change global relations and top it off with threatening high ranking CIA officials, they tend to let you do what you want when you capture the enemy."

Fiona pulled away from Michael. "I'm here. This is real. You need to go. This isn't your fight anymore."

Michael didn't move. "No I'm not leaving you alone with him. I don't care if he's chained to a chair. I'm not going."

Fiona grabbed Michael and pulled him into the hallway. "I have been in jail for over three months. I have a score to settle with him and I'm going to do it the best way I know how. Its going to be slow and tortuous, but I don't want you here to see this. This is between Anson and I. You had your time alone with Anson, now its my turn." When Fiona realized Michael was not going to move, she called out for Jesse and Sam. "I need you guys to take him out of here. Just remove him so I can do this."

Michael protested again. Fiona closed her eyes and turned away from Michael, shouting "For once, just listen to what I'm telling you! Just go!"

Michael gave her a kiss, pressed his forehead against hers and whispered "Come for me when you are done." He walked out the door unassisted, towards the exit that lead to an empty pool. Sam and Jesse returned to the other room to check on Pearce, who was regaining her color and normal breathing. Fiona told Nate to stay with Michael and make sure he doesn't get near her. She didn't want Michael hearing anything she had to say to Anson, or hear anything as she did tortured him.

Fiona, now alone in the room with a completely broken Anson, started to unpack a bag she had brought into the room with her. She moistened some electrical leads and placed them on the left and right arm as well as his legs. The leads were attached to a box that had a dial on the top.

"Anson, do you know what this is? This is a travel generator. Most people use it for camping or if they lose power at home. However, since I don't camp and the loft has never lost electric for as long as I've been with Michael, I had this rigged to suit my own needs. The leads you have connected to you are wet, so when I turn this dial..."

*Zap*

"You get zapped. Did that hurt?" Fiona asked Anson. He shook his head yes. "I'm so sorry that you had to feel that. Do you know what? I felt that at least every day when I was in prison. I know you paid that guard to tazer me and beat me daily. Michael beat you well enough. I will give him that victory."

Fiona pulled out an apparatus from her bag that had a screw in the center. The screw made two wings on either side open or close. Fiona opened Anson's mouth and inserted the tool. She fiddled with the screw until she was sure he wouldn't be closing his mouth. She turned back around and pulled pliers out of her bag. "Were you talking bad about me to the FBI and the CIA? Anson, that wasn't very nice. You know, I think those teeth are giving you trouble, causing you to lie about me to the government."

Fiona took the pliers and straddled Anson. She grabbed hold of one of his front teeth and began to wiggle and pull on it, until it broke. Anson was screaming in pain, trying to free himself from Fiona's presence. She pulled at another tooth and that one broke as well.

"Anson, all your teeth are breaking. I guess I'll try one more and see if I can get that one out easily." she said as she took hold of his lower molar on the right bottom side. Wiggling and pulling, she finally got it out. Blood gushed out of the wound and poured from Anson's mouth. Fiona loosened the clamp from his mouth, tossing it to the side. Anson passed out from the pain, causing Fiona to sigh. She grabbed the bottle of water she brought with her and dumped it on his head.

"Wake up, Anson! We aren't done yet." She whispered in his ear.

Stepping back, she realized that Anson had many cuts and large wounds on him. Fiona paused for a brief moment, realizing the beating the men must have doled out to Anson. She turned her back to get something new from her bag, wiping her eyes as she bent down. Hearing Anson's moaning and attempt to talk, brought her back to the task at hand.

"This whole situation has been very unclean. Just dirty work all over the place. You made Michael do your dirty work. Even Sam and Jesse did your dirty work. Lord knows who else you brought into your filthy little games. Whenever things get filthy, the boys want to just dust it off and continue on their way. Being a woman and one likes things to be clean, I prefer to clean with bleach. Yes, some say it's harsh to clean with, but nothing cleans like bleach. Let me tend to those wounds Anson. They look rather filthy."

Fiona pulled from behind her back a large jug of bleach and began to pour it over Anson, making sure to hit all of his open wounds. He was screaming, shaking and crying. She went over to the generator and turned it on to the lowest setting.

She began screaming at Anson. "Why did you do it? You could have left Michael alone. When he didn't want to join Management you could have kept him burned. You didn't have to keep chasing after him. The whole time he knew some dark shadowy figure was chasing after him, but he couldn't see that figure. He would wake up nights in a cold sweat, searching the loft because he thought someone was there. There were nights he sat up in bed with a gun on the door in case the figure came into our home. I thought he was nuts and paranoid, but I worked through it with him. You did your damage to him. You never had to show up and break us up. You took a man, my man, and slowly turned him into something less. You knew he couldn't function and would be broken. You deserve what got today, but it will never be enough. I lost three months of my life. Michael lost three months. We can never get that back." Anson sat there smiling a bloody crooked smile at Fiona.

Fiona pulled her final tool from her bag. She turned the generator up one last time before turning it off. Anson's eye's widened in horro and she took a knife, spread his legs, and began stabbing Anson randomly in the crotch area. He screamed and again tried to free himself, but he was not lucky. As the blood seeped out of his body onto the floor, Fiona grabbed a gas can she brought with her. She poured the gasoline on Anson, making sure he was properly covered. She grabbed her bag, pulled a matchbox from her pocket, and lit a single match. She threw it at Anson who was now screaming, engulfed in flames.

Fiona walked to the next room, where she thought the others were stationed, but she found it to be empty and all the machines she saw in there before were gone. She exited the building and walked around the back of the hotel, which was quickly being consumed by flames. She found Michael and Sam by the Charger, waiting to whisk her away.


End file.
